Patti Radle, member of the Board of Trustees in the San Antonio Independent School District, speaks during a press conference against the possible removal of the track at Alamo Stadium on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011.

Patti Radle, member of the Board of Trustees in the San Antonio Independent School District, speaks during a press conference against the possible removal of the track at Alamo Stadium on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011.

Photo: MICHAEL MILLER, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Image 2 of 3

Patti Radle, member of the Board of Trustees in the San Antonio Independent School District, speaks during a press conference against the possible removal of the track at Alamo Stadium on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011.

Patti Radle, member of the Board of Trustees in the San Antonio Independent School District, speaks during a press conference against the possible removal of the track at Alamo Stadium on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011.

Photo: File Photo, San Antonio Express-News

Image 3 of 3

Radle wants Alamo Stadium vote delayed

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

San Antonio Independent School District trustee Patti Radle said Friday she believes her constituents are in the dark about possible changes to the historic Alamo Stadium, including the removal of the athletic track, and she is not ready to vote on it next week.

Taking out the track would make room for a soccer field big enough to accommodate a pro team as well as high school and college athletes. For years, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Spurs, has been interested in starting a minor-league team and since at least March 2010 talked about the possibility of making the stadium its home.

The seven-decade-old stadium is slated for renovations along with the adjacent Convocation Center at a cost of $35 million, part of a $515 million bond approved by voters in November 2010. The board is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to keep the track, which would leave space for a smaller soccer field as well as the football field. The bigger soccer field would require a new venue for track and field events, possibly the Wheatley Heights complex on the East Side.

Radle called a news conference to release the results of a phone survey she said showed that the majority of the 250 respondents did not know when they voted for the bond that the track could be removed, a concern she expressed at Monday's board meeting.

Given the results of the survey, which she paid for and was conducted by Opinion Strategies, Radle said she might move to table the stadium issue Tuesday night.

Boy carted off in ambulance after S.A. shooting as relatives scream in anguishSan Antonio Express-News

“I myself, when I voted (on the bond), did not have this idea in my mind,” Radle said, referring to the track removal.

District 3 trustee Carlos Villarreal said he was disappointed with Radle's decision to hold a news conference.

“We stirred a fire that didn't need to be stirred,” he said by phone Friday night. “At no time did we pull the wool over anyone's eyes. I think we've been very transparent with what we've done.”

According to the survey of Radle's constituents, 74 percent of those who answered want to keep the track and add soccer.

SAISD President-elect Ed Garza questioned how the survey was done and whether it is an accurate snapshot of her district.

“To me the whole survey is irrelevant,” Garza said. “It comes down to the way you ask the question.”

At Radle's news conference, Kathleen Lovejoy, a former SAISD athletic department secretary who said she worked for the district for more than 50 years, became emotional when asked about the proposal to remove the track. She said she had worked under Claud Kellam, the late SAISD athletic director who Lovejoy said played a key role in Alamo Stadium's development.

“It's heartbreaking,” Lovejoy said as she fought back tears. “Mr. Kellam built the stadium and he would be rolling over in his grave right now.”

More Information

Coming Sunday

Many unanswered questions hang over the stadium, the most controversial part of the bond.

Radle said the poll began Nov. 29 and she received results Dec. 3.Radle said she planned to poll constituents in other SAISD districts and expected results by today. Other board members had said their constituents support bringing professional soccer to the district, an assertion Radle's looking to fact-check.